The Barça s’enreda against the Galatasaray (0-0)

BarcelonaThis chronicle might start with lamenting the fact that it is Real Madrid and not Barça who are the stars of comeback nights in the Champions League. But this is not the story that will be told along these lines. Here we will talk regarding a Barça team that wants to grow with the help of Xavi, also on the days when everything costs more. The toll to pay for the decline of the team in recent years, with a dressing room as empowered as aged and an increasingly decadent management of Bartomeu, has led Barça to be reborn from a minor competition. But, even though the Camp Nou is not used to putting the Europa League tarpaulin on the pitch before matches, or hearing its anthem, the fans want to get excited once more, even if the rival is a Galatasaray clinging to defense and with stars closer to retirement than his best football.

The Catalans, tired of receiving thrashings that made them the colors in the Champions League in recent years, now want to enjoy the revolution of the youngsters. But every rebirth needs its time and, although the evolution of the team is remarkable since the arrival of Xavi, there will also be days when you will have to paddle more, that things will take longer to go well. This would be the story that would be lived once morest a Turkish team that invested until its last drop of sweat in defending itself (0-0). Barça will go to Istanbul without their homework, but yesterday they left the stadium knowing that they have the warmth of the fans.

And that, from the very beginning, the game did not flow once morest Galatasaray. With Piqué and Busquets resting, Barça spent the entire first half without being precise in the passing, especially Araujo. Nor might they release the pressure just as well because the Turkish team gave up playing, nor did they create danger in a dizzying way as in recent games. Domènec Torrent, who often relies on his speed, had a rotten day on the drenched grass. His approach was often reminiscent of that of Elche, with players from the Turkish team chasing Barça’s most talented footballers. Also the starting striker chosen by Xavi was the same yesterday who ended up resolving the awkward match once morest the Valencians, but in this case without a bite.

Barça did not roll and the few chances to score in the first half came in isolation. With Ferran Torres missing in front of the lower block of Galatasaray, only a discreet Memphis might test Iñaki Peña, on loan from Barça. First, with a free kick that had been born of a genius of Pedri, also forced to make war on their own. Good stop. Better would be the second, with a shot from the Dutch striker from the left corner of the area. Peña made his debut at the Camp Nou and, with his letter of introduction, explains why Xavi wants to keep him in ownership. The most productive of the Barça trident was Adama, but he ended up being polluted by the strange apathy of the whole team in the first half. Like in those days when, at work, you think that something will be easy but you end up getting complicated. Meanwhile, even the cowardly Galatasaray thought he might advance on the scoreboard, following a good action from Aktürkoğlu who came out rubbing the crossbar following bouncing on the back of Eric Garcia.

Xavi is the coach

Faced with the global setback of the whole team, Xavi did not take long to move tab in a game that called for new blood. The Egarenc coach wanted to resolve the lack of balance of his team by leaving Piqué, Busquets and Dembélé just following the break, who would receive whistles once more when he jumped on the grass. The victims were Araujo, Nico and Ferran Torres. If one thing Xavi made clear was that he didn’t like what he saw in the first part. The rotations ended abruptly. Xavi acted as coach. In this team no one plays by decree: not even Ferran, the most expensive signing under his brief stint on the bench.

With a lot of patums on the grass, part of the fans demanded the presence of Aubameyang, while cheering with a header from Busquets that Peña sent once more a corner to confirm his graduation in the ‘stay. The decibels in the stands of the stadium began to spur the team and silence the more than 1,500 Turkish fans in the henhouse. The team was infected with the energy of the fans and already with the Gabonese on the grass launched the attack. With a point of precipitation, but this Barça is hungry. Jordi Alba warned with a shot that came out rubbing the post. Frenkie de Jong has a shot deflected off target. Aubameyang almost put the reducer away having drawn the entire left side defense away, but the shot went straight into the arms of the goalkeeper. Adama and Dembélé would send shots close to the crossbar, shortly before Gomis put fear into the body with a goal disallowed for offside. The chances came but Barça did not find the goal. Xavi played it all by giving Luuk de Jong a pass. With more heart than order, the team tried until the end, but who would leave with a smile would be the Turkish fans and Domènec Torrent.